Challenges in sociotherapeutic work with children and youth. The perspective of group leaders
Challenges in sociotherapeutic work with children and youth. The perspective of group leaders

Summary/Abstract: Sociotherapy is often offered in Poland as a form of help for children and youthwith psychosocial difficulties. The work of sociotherapists and sociotherapists relies on socialtrust and requires functioning in many complex conditions. The aim of this analysis was todiscover the perspective of sociotherapists on difficulties and challenges in their everyday sociotherapeuticwork. For this purpose, 37 written statements were obtained from sociotherapistsworking in various institutions, mainly schools and sociotherapeutic community centers. Thestatements were analyzed by means of thematic analysis (in Braun and Clarke’s approach),allowing to generate five themes that include the experience of challenges: 1) the challengeis the participant; 2) caring for the group as an effective therapeutic environment; 3) working„with an open heart”; 4) balancing between certainty and uncertainty; 5) working despite thefeeling that „not everyone is heading in the same direction”. These themes may open upa discussion on how to support the professionals in their daily work, for example by introducingactivities that may increase their sense of influence and control over the sociotherapeuticprocess. At the same time, sociotherapeutic work appears as requiring the integration ofdifferent objectives associated with the contexts of functioning of the participant, the groupand the institution in which the sociotherapy takes place.

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